Sunset
by Alania57
Summary: Based off of a Hogwarts RP I'm in, and set 7 years after 1997. I.. really can't summarize it. Just read if you're interested. You won't be dissappointed.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Many people won't understand what's going on here. That's okay! Don't fret! To be honest sometimes I don't know what's going on either. ;D And um.. I know there are quite a few of you waiting for me to get off my ass and finish Bound. But my Bound muses have retired and moved to Florida so uh.. don't hold your breath. . (One day, one day..I will finish that damn book!)

This story is based off of a Hogwarts roleplay (What? No!) that I've been in for a few years now. However, the story itself mostly takes place 7 years after Hogwarts, therefore you will not be seeing any Harry, any Hermione, any.. anyone. The most you'll get is maybe Dumbledore. If you're lucky. All characters are © their respective players. I do not own Harry Potter (though I wouldn't mind .) nor do I own anything JK Rowling wrote. I do however own Calista, who in this Continuity was the Head Girl in Harry's 6th year, so if you even so much as –think- of stealing her.. I would be flattered. I will sue the pants off of you.. but I'd be flattered. 

Though this story isn't finished (I can't write an ending, seeing as I can't tell the future of what will happen in the roleplay, but consider what I've got now a 'pseudo-ending' of sorts, to be added on if needed.) I doubt I'll be adding to it any time soon. But who knows.

I want to thank everyone who played with me, it was a blast, and you guys are just awesome. Love goes out to Becca, Cami, and Popkin especially. You guys gave my imagination wings to soar.

(..oh God that was corny.)

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**Sunset**

Ch. 1

The sunset was absolutely breathtaking. Streamers of gold and red wrapped around one another, and the sky looked as if someone had brushed a paintbrush across it, with all sorts of hues of orange, red, and soft purple. She had never seen a more beautiful sunset.

It seemed worthy of having a religious experience, its beauty struck such awe in her heart. 

But Calista Lourdes was never a religious woman.

Even as she hung there by one hand, on the edge of a cliff so smooth, so bare of anything she could even in her wildest dreams consider a foothold or handhold, and even with the soft crumbling of the one grip she had left on the cliff, still she did not pray. 

She looked down for a split second, at the cavernous ravine that threatened to engulf her any moment, its mouth so wide open it was simply waiting to swallow her whole. She realized in an instant it was a mistake, and turned her eyes back up to the sunset.

Now that was a vision to die for.

"Hold on a mo', I'm almost there! Terry, keep that rope tight!"

She heard distant voices calling out- or at least, they sounded distant to her. In fact, Brennan was probably only a few feet above her, with a rock-climbing rope tied securely around his waist. He pushed against the smooth rock, creeping slowly downward with each small hop, until he was just beside the woman whose life was inches away from ending. His lips were wide with a shit-eating grin.

"Well hot-damn, if you can't call me your Prince Charming now."

The rock crumbled even further under her fingers as if it disapproved of his arrogant charms while she was in perilous danger. The look on her face mirrored the rock crumbling, as both bid him a silent 'Fuck you.'

His hand slid around her waist, tucking her in front of him with one final swoop of his arm, and he tugged on the rope.

"Let 'er rip, Terry!"

Instantly the rope slacked as if it had been cut, and they plunged into the darkness.

**************************************************************************

"Shitshit, Chris he said let her rip! How am I supposed to know that meant pull it up?! I thought he wanted more slack!"

The thick boned Asian man had both hands secure around the rope that Terry had released, his face taut with strain.

"Just tie the goddamn thing back up and reel them in, before I fall over with 'em!"

Terry, a sprite of a woman almost half the size of the man holding on to those ropes with all the strength he could muster, did as she was told, her fingers moving with nimble quickness. All at once the ropes were being reeled in, and after what seemed like ages, two figures sprawled up upon the top of the cliff, their faces pale, as if Death had looked them straight in the eye a moment before and greeted them. Brennan held on to Calista's waist still, clinging for dear life as if she would yet fall if he let go. It took her all of a moment to collect herself, and while Brennan was still in the thralls of being moments away from his best imitation of a fly on a windshield, she had already stood up and brushed herself off.

One glare at Terry was all it took.

The smaller girl quaked, her knees trembling. "It's Brennan's fault!! 'Let 'er rip!' Oh come on, how am I..! Shit.. I'm sorry, Captain."

The taller woman, so called 'Captain' of this foursome of excavators, said nothing. Her glare spoke for her. She walked past the group, in eerie silence, heading for her tent.

"You'd think she'd be a little more grateful, I did save her life."

Brennan had found his voice, (and his stomach, which had been relocated to his throat a moment before), and was equally glaring her down as she walked away.

"Neeever gonna happen, bro." Christopher chuckled, as he began to put their equipment away.

"We'll see."

**************************************************************************

Terry pushed open the ragged cloth of the tent flap, looking under it with a nervous hesitation.

"Uh.. Captain? Can I have a word..?"

"Come on in Terry."

The girl slipped through the crack, letting the flap drop behind her. The small area was dark, lit by only one lantern that looked as if it was on its last dregs, and would soon sputter out. She couldn't understand why their team captain enjoyed the darkness so much; it must be a strain on her eyes. She had already started to use reading glasses, though she refused to wear them in public, and forced Terry to read any maps or journals that they needed for their assignments.

The girl cleared her throat, her voice squeaking softly. "Captain, I really am sorry about-"

"It wasn't your fault. Not wholly, at least. All three of you were at fault here."

Terry stopped short at that, and her look of confusion went to waste in the darkness. She couldn't imagine what _Chris_ had done wrong, in fact he was the only reason Captain Lourdes and Brennan Cooper were still alive. "I don't quite follow..?"

The woman known as Captain Lourdes sat up, flicking her hand at the lantern as if her soft movement could do some good. Sure enough, the fire within flickered brighter, surged on by some unknown force. Calista turned her stark blue eyes back to the girl, as the room around them blazed in light. Her bright red hair, falling in cascades around her shoulders, looked almost as if it had a life of its own, in Terry's mind. The fire flickered and sent shadows to play on the woman's well defined features. Even Terry, who had been married to Chris for almost 2 years now, felt a pang of jealousy every time she really looked at her Captain. She was as breathtaking as the sunset.

"You should have left me behind."

Her voice, however, did not match the stunning beauty she held. The voice was stern, and low, every word having purpose and little to no emotion.

"C-Capt.. oh forget that. Calista, how can you say that? We're a family, we _never_ leave any one of us behind! You know that.."

"I know that you three feel the need for some kind of heroic camaraderie that has landed you in complicated and potentially life threatening situations for as long as I've known you. Despite that, you've got to grow up and realize my life isn't worth risking yours. You blew the entire mission to come and rescue me, and months of work have been wasted."

"But it was YOUR work! It would have been wasted anyway if you'd splattered all over the bottom of that cliff!"

Calista rested back on her sleeping bag, her cold blue eyes staring up at the inside of the tent's pinnacle.

"You could have done it without me."

"We'll not be doing anything without you, Cap'n."

The voice she heard was male that time, and she rolled her eyes, turning to look at her lantern. He was the last person she wanted to see right now.

"Terry, me and the Cap'n've got a bit of talking to do. Be a sweetheart and go help Chris."

"Do shut up you macho little prick."

Terry's words held an endearment within them, as if she had just called Brennan a sweetheart as well. Yet she moved to step out of the tent, as Brennan sat by Calista's feet, his jovial smile falling.

"How can you say that?"

"Say what."

"That your life isn't worth risking ours? Do you really think that's true? Would I have been out there on that cliff if your life wasn't worth-"

"For _Merlin's_ sakes Brennan, don't you start with that again."

His face reddened with anger, as he had been shot down before he'd even begun.

"I'll start with it as much as I like, because like it or not, Calista, I-"

The woman sat up, her hand reeling back sharply, before it came around and slapped him in the face.

A stinging silence met them once the echo of her slap had faded, and his hand rose up, cupping his cheek with his palm. The two stared at one another for a good minute, in silence. Neither would break.

"Remind me to never save your life again." It was he who broke the silence, though his voice held a distant, detached calm.

"I'll do that."

She lay back down on her sleeping bag, and a moment later she heard the swish of a tent flap open, and close. Outside, she could barely make out the voice of a man, who sounded vaguely amused.

"Neeever gonna happen."

"Oh FUCK off Chris!"

The words didn't mean much to her, in fact she wasn't really listening. Instead, her eyes watched the fading embers of her lantern as it began its triumphant sputter before it died, and her hand reached up instinctively, fingering the necklace around her neck. A vague, and hollow smile twitched at the corners of her mouth, as wisps of memories of long ago passed her by until the light finally flickered one last time, and died.

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_I know you think that I shouldn't still love you  
I'll tell you that  
But if I didn't say it  
Well, I'd still have felt it  
Where's the sense in that?__  
  
I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder  
Or return to where we were  
  
Well I will go down with this ship  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender  
There will be no white flag above my door  
I'm in love and always will be  
  
I know I left too much mess  
And destruction to come back again  
And I caused but nothing but trouble  
I understand if you can't talk to me again  
And if you live by the rules of "It's over"  
Then I'm sure that that makes sense_

_   
And when we meet  
As I'm sure we will  
All that was then  
Will be there still_

_Well I will go down with this ship  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender  
There will be no white flag above my door  
I'm in love and always will be_

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"Are you coming over for Christmas?"

Brennan looked down at the sprite of a woman and mulled over her offer, his deep hazel eyes flickering at the woman standing a few feet away, who was intent on staring down the length of the train platform they were standing on.  
  


"I would.. but I fear Jeremy would kill me if I left him alone with _her._"

Calista flipped Brennan off without even looking at him and continued to watch for the train. He laughed heartily, and shrugged down at Terry.

"Why don't you come over to the estate instead?"

Cold blue eyes left their vigil to rest on Brennan then. "I don't recall when you had the right to invite people over to my house, Cooper."

He shivered noticeably, his arms wrapping around his body as he looked around. "Gee.. did it just get cold in here or is it just me..? Don't be an ice queen Cap'n, you know you'd have invited them if they wanted to come."

"You're right, I would have. You, however, have no right to."

The eyes softened slightly as they looked down at Terry, and Calista smiled faintly.

"You are, of course, always welcome to come if you want. But you knew that."

Chuckling softly, Terry nodded her head. "Well, I'll ask Chris, but I think he's got family coming in so we might stick it out at our house this Christmas. I guess you two will be all alone.."

"With Jeremy."

"Well yes, there is that."

"We could always send Jeremy off with one of his friends for a few days, so we could enjoy a few nice, private, romantic mo-"

"OR I could jam my hand down your throat now, pull your intestines out through your esophagus, and rid myself of you while I have the chance."

"..I'm sure no one would notice something like _that_, Cap'n."

"If they did, I would take care of them."

A heavy silence fell on the group at their Captain's last words. There was something.. not so humorous about the way she had spoken them. Her threat to end Brennan's life had been a joke- one of many they threw back and forth at one another. The threat to take care of witnesses.. there was little joke in her voice then.

The shrill whistle of the coming train broke their unnerving silence, as the Hogwarts Express chugged into the station. A hiss of steam announced its arrival, and the doors gave way to a trickle of children, which soon became a flood. One boy in particular, a strong, handsome boy with cold, dark eyes and flaming red hair that settled just above his ears, framing his tanned skin, walked calmly out of the train, clutching one bag. He caught a glimpse of his sister in an instant, she was.. hard to miss, even in a crowd. In fact even the conductor failed to miss noticing her, as Jeremy stood in front of the doorway and the man peeked out, following his gaze. He whistled low, and patted the boy on the back.

"Kid, your mom's a fox. Put a good word in for me?" 

Jeremy shrugged the arm off his shoulder and walked off without a word, or a look back. The conductor shrugged, giving the woman one last look before slipping back inside the train.

A smile lit her face, something so rare even Terry had to stare.

"Jeremy!"

Calista strode the few feet between them, collecting the boy up in into her arms and embracing him tightly. "Oh, I missed you.."

"Caaaal, not in front of the other kids.."

He was right to be embarrassed – several girls were chuckling behind him, gathered up in a gaggle and watching. In truth those girls were more likely to find it endearing than amusing. In fact, most girls thought anything Jeremy did was endearing – he was one of the most beautiful boys who had ever resided in Hogwarts.

It was a wonder he wasn't gay.

"Oh bugger them, I missed you. Come on, let's go home."

A strong hand clapped over Jeremy's shoulder, and it was the boys turn to smile. He turned, grinning up at Brennan.

"Long time no see eh boy?"

"Right-o. Have you been taking care of my sister, or are your intestines still in danger?"

The group walked out of the station and headed home, after Terry had snatched a quick hug from Jeremy. Brennan wrapped his arm around his stomach at his words, as if he was in some sort of pain.

"Life with Calista is always dangerous, son. That's what makes it so much fun."

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End Note: Lyrics by Dido. No, I don't own them either. Damn, I really need to own someone.. any takers? ;3


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Your mom. D:

All characters are © their respective players. I do not own Harry Potter (though I wouldn't mind .) nor do I own Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts, or pretty much anything JK Rowling wrote. I do however own Calista, who in this Continuity was the Head Girl in Harry's 6th year, so if you even so much as –think- of stealing her.. I would be flattered. I will sue the pants off of you.. but I'd be flattered. 

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**Sunset**

Ch. 2

_She was caught between tragic dreams and regretful memories, and somewhere in between she caught a glimpse of her mother. Reaching out to her, the sight sucked her into a memory that had once haunted her dreams as a child. Now as an adult, there were memories much more horrific and heartbreaking to haunt her, but this night, her mother came to her once more._

"Now I want you to try it."

"But muuuum, it's too hard.."

"Don't be silly, it's in your blood. Put your hand out like I'm doing and try it."

The little girl put out her hand, her palm facing up like her mother's, and her eyes closed in concentration. She tried to will the little flame to ignite in her palm the way it did in her mother's, so easily. But she was too young, and too inexperienced. 8 year old Calista was not ready to fill her mother's shoes.

A large middle aged man stormed into the room with a crumpled paper in his hand. His mouth worked, inhaling a deep breath to bellow out a yell, but his throat caught as his eyes focused on his wife and daughter sitting side by side, each with one hand facing up, one of which possessed a flicker of flame, and one of which did not.__

"..You're trying to teach her that damn dirty magic again, aren't you Lillith!?"

"Ricardo, calm down-"

"I WILL MOST CERTAINLY NOT CALM DOWN. Do you know what this is?" He shook the paper in her face. "It's another letter from the Ministry Lillith, they've got proof of your ties to the Wandless, they've issued a warrant of arrest! You've sacrificed your entire family, for WHAT?! For these people you call your friends? These people who promise you power? Look at your daughter Lillith, how could you do this to her?  To US?" 

The sounds of a baby crying filled the silence that fell once her father had stopped yelling, and her own face cringed with welling tears. Her mother remained the picture of calm despite the barrage, and stood slowly, walking past the raging man. 

"Now look what you've done, you've gone and woken Jeremy."

Her soft voice was betrayed by the cold look in those blue eyes. Momentarily jarred, Ricardo moved out of his wife's way as she headed to nurse her newborn son. 

~~~

_'You still loved her though, didn't you daddy? Even after she kept trying to train me in the art, or what you so lovingly called 'dirty magic'. You loved her so much, even after she left us alone.'_

_~~~_

"Mum, how many years do I have left until I go to Hogwarts?"

"Will you ask me this every day? 3 years, you'll go when you're 11."

"And then I'll find the book?"

"Shh child, what have I told you about speaking of such things out loud? Your father might here."

"..Do you think I'll ever be strong like you, mum?"

"No Calista. You'll be stronger. And hopefully by then.."

The woman's voice trailed off, her eyes narrowing. "By then perhaps he will give us the answers we need."

Calista had been sitting at her mothers feet, watching her work with a cauldron and various bottles of different sizes and colors. She was making a potion, and a powerful one by the putrid smell it gave off thus far. The girl looked up with a hint of curiosity.

"Who's he?"

Lillith continued her vigilant work on the potion, leaving the question in silence until she came to a point where she could let it sit. She held her hand out to her daughter, who took it and pulled herself up.

"The one man who knows how to stop all of this.. death. The only known wizard who has mastered our art and yet somehow remains unaffected, and unbroken. He thinks we're stupid enough to believe his lies; 'I'm sorry, but I hold no answers for you, save this: What you're playing at is a dangerous game, and should be stopped.' He's so bloody righteous.. he has no RIGHT to keep his secret while we drop away like flies."

"Mum, you're scaring me.."

Lillith held her daughter close, brushing her hand against the girls blood red hair. She loved that hair, she always insisted on combing and working it. Her own hair was more traditionally orange than anything, just as her Irish mothers had been, and her mother before that- Calista's had taken on the deepest, most scarlet shade of red Lillith had ever seen her entire life. She felt it was a sign.

She bent down to look into Calista's eyes, sparkling blue and filled with life and curiosity just as a childs should be.

"One day, Calista, when you go to Hogwarts, and you find that book, you'll learn. And then, perhaps.. perhaps you'll be able to do what none of us have."

As she straightened up again and took her daughter back up into her arms, Calista stared up at her mother, who had a vacant, vaguely determined look on her face.

"What's that mum?"

"Perhaps you'll be able to convince him to save us all."

~~~

_'Even then, I was a tool to you, something to be used. When did I stop being your daughter, and start being your saviour, mother?'_

_~~~_

"Calista, when we appointed you Head Girl, you were given certain responsibilities.."

"Responsibilities I have kept, Headmaster."

The wizened man sat back in his seat slightly, looking up at the girl who stood military style in front of his desk. His face crinkled in a small, knowing smile.

"Yes, yes of course. One of those responsibilities, however, is to set an example for your peers-"

"Have I done something out of line, Headmaster? If so, please let me know now and I will rectify the situation."

His knowing smile grew into something akin to amusement.

"Is my company so uncomfortable to you, that you wish to leave so quickly?"

"It isn't that, it's just.."

"You are wondering why I'm still alive."

Her eyes snapped up, glaring into his with dangerous intensity. He only smiled.

"Ah, Calista, I fear you are attempting to follow your mothers example. I remember your mother.. she was such a good student. If she had not gotten involved in that little group of.."

"My mother was a genius, and her collegues just so. You could have saved her, Headmaster. You could have saved them all."

The smile faded on his face, and he leaned closer to his desk, his piercing gaze held on her still.

"Calista, you may not understand why I refuse to help the Wandless, but please attempt to trust that I have only the best of intentions at heart. The magic your mother and the rest of that society are trying to harness should never be put into the hands of the public, and with every tragic passing, the hope that they hold ebbs away. If they succeeded.. I am afraid hundreds, perhaps even thousands will die at their hands."

"You're WRONG!"

He closed his eyes, letting her anger wash over him. When his eyes opened once more, there was an oldness behind them. He looked aged, and tired.

"I did not call you here to convince you of this. I called you in because a student claims to have seen you do things they cannot explain. Calista, I must insist that if you are attempting to learn the art your mother died for, you must stop. You are endangering yourself, and the student body by trying to break that barrier within yourself. If you succeeded, the consequences would be-"

Before he could finish, one of the hands that she had held clasped behind her back shot up, and a quill on his desk reacted in kind. Her arm straightened out, a sharp movement that ended in her hand pointing at the wall on her right. The quill had moved with it, and like an arrow it flung towards the wall, embedding into the stone just beside a portrait and vibrating there for a moment. The occupant of the portrait stared at the quill in horror, before inching away out of sight. 

A moment of silence fell, broken by a slow sigh. ".. I see. So, you have already broken the barrier. You do know what you have done, I assume..?"

"I do. I will live a third of the normal lifespan of a normal wizard." Her eyes settled on his, her gaze penetrating, though nothing compared to him. "Unless you show me why you're still alive after all this time."

The Headmaster shook his head sadly, his gaze looking even more aged.

"You have so much to live for, Calista. I truly expected such great things for you. I still do, only.. now you have got less time to accomplish them all."

He smiled faintly, leaning back in his chair. "If I could, hmm, ask you to keep this to yourself..?"

Though she looked disappointed at his dismissal, she nodded. Her mother was wrong – Dumbledore would not save her, and the rest of her kind. 

_'He had his reasons. I'm sorry, mother. I'm sorry for failing you. You were wrong about me.. I wasn't so special, after all.'_

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 "C'mon, wake up you.."

A gentle hand had been pressed against Calista's side, rocking her sleeping body gently to try and rouse her. So far he had failed.

"This isn't like you, you're a light sleeper.."

He bit down on his lip slightly in worry, and stood to walk towards the window, gazing down at the scenery below. He didn't want to leave without her even knowing he'd been there, but he couldn't stay..

"Gabe..?"

The soft whisper made him turn in place, and there before him was a vision. She had sat up in her bed, clad in a thin crimson nightslip, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes to be sure she wasn't dreaming. He felt the distinct urge to do the same, just in case it was his dream they were caught in.

"Is that really you?"

In response he closed the gap of feet between them and slid onto her bed, pulling her into his arms possessively. He sat there, both gloved hands pressed firmly against the dark skin of her back, and refused to let go.

"Yes, it's really me."

She struggled to sit up straight, just enough that she could look up at him. Her hands slid around his back, clasping there, and a light-headed feeling overtook her. It had been over a year since she'd last felt him in her arms, and she in his.

"I missed you so much."

Both their voices had whispered the same words at each other simultaneously, followed by stifled laughter at the coincidence. It was a moment where time had no meaning, and they were children once more, lost in each others embrace. She would not ask him about his missions, and he would not ask her about her work. Their communication was solely and completely fulfilled by touch, sight, sound and smell. Every question became satiated and answered with one look, as two pairs of blue eyes met.

But the moment was always fated to end far too soon.

"I can't stay, you know that.."

He whispered this hesitant truth into her skin as his lips brushed against her neck, trying to sound reasonable despite the fact that his hands were disagreeing with him.

"Yes you can.."

"I've already been here too long, if someone find out, they'll come looking for me.."

His voice and his movements were two separate entities, and while he entreated to her his necessity for leaving, he was only vaguely aware that his fingers held the clasp of a zipper captive, pulling it down her back and setting the nightslip loose. His head burrowed into her neck, breathing hot air against her skin.

She pushed herself away, putting both her hands between them and standing up. He blinked away the glaze that had come over his eyes, and looked up at her. The heartbreak of her acceptance tore at him, and his aching heart begged silently for her to return.

She stood there, her eyes gazing down on him clear and soft as they looked upon on the one and only man she would ever love. Her hands bent up and each slipped a finger under the strap that still held her nightslip upon her shoulders, brushing it away. The slip of silk fell to the floor in a dreamlike wave of movement, pooling at her feet.

"Then go."

Her heady words were like a challenge, and in them it was made obvious that she wouldn't let him even if he tried.

"I could never walk away from a sight like that."

He swept her down into his arms, slipping one of them under her knees and turning to lay her down gently on the bed. The challenge in her eyes was met by a deep hunger in his. He would not leave her tonight. 

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_I am here to tell you _

_we__ can never meet again. _

_simple__ really, isn't it?_

_a__ word or two and then _

_a__ lifetime of not knowing _

_where__ or how, or why, or when _

_you__ think of me, or speak of me _

_or__ wonder what befell _

_the__ someone you once loved _

_so__ long ago, somewhere.. _

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He didn't have the luxury of being able to sleep. He was grateful for being able to watch her sleep, though he knew he had to leave. He had managed this long.. just a few more minutes wouldn't hurt.

She had fallen asleep curled up in the crook of his arm, her breathing deep and slow as she dreamt. From the look on her face, her dreams were sweet, the nightmares driven far from her subconscious by their love. 

'A few more minutes.. that's all I ask for..'

He closed his eyes, and rested his forehead against hers, as he crept into her dreams.

_"You know, I distinctly remember warning someone that I was bad news, getting into this.."_

_Gabriel shook his head quickly, wrapping his arms around her and just holding close for a moment, burying his head in her shoulder for a brief beat. Calista felt his arms slip around her, adjusting to feel of it for the first time. She turned her head, just slightly, to get a closer look at him, buried into her shoulder. She had almost reached out to run her hand atop his hair, when he pulled back and kissed her suddenly, without warning. Her eyes went wide with the biggest shock she'd ever felt in her entire life. Was this what it felt like..? She didn't know what to do, she felt so stupid and yet, she couldn't complain. Her first kiss.. she had thought she should close her eyes or something, but the view was something she wanted to remember forever. She tried, -tried- to kiss back, but her inexperienced clumsiness made her falter. She felt dizzy, and lost. Finally, she wrapped her arms loosely around his waist, almost afraid to touch him. Her eyes refused to close._

_Gabriel had sighed after a moment, as if he were afraid to let her go.  He held to the girl, not exactly tight, but with a firmness, giving the air of having a strength within him of some sort, or at least a resolution to protect her.  Naive as it may be, it was quite tangible as he held her to him.  "Don't...ever be afraid of telling me things...I can't help, unless you tell me...and I'm going to try, with or without your sanction..."_

How ironic those words were, he thought, as he opened his eyes once more. How ironic that she would be dreaming of their first kiss, at this very moment. His hands loosened around her, trying to move without waking her.

_I'm going to protect you. With or without your sanction._

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_Never wonder what I feel _

_as__ living shuffles by _

_you__ don't have to ask me _

_and__ I did not reply _

_every__ moment of my life _

_from__ now until I die _

_I will think or dream of you _

_and__ fail to understand _

_how__ a perfect love _

_can__ be confounded out of hand _

_is__ it written in the stars? _

_are__ we paying for some crime? _

_is__ that all that we are good for _

_just__ a stretch of mortal time? _

_is__ this God's experiment _

_in__ which we have no say? _

_in__ which we're given paradise _

_but__ only for a day? _

**************************************************************************

The sun filtered through the windows as the morning came, blaring at her. She never kept those window curtains open, for this very reason. Her eyes squinted at the sunlight pouring directly onto the bed, and she held her hand up, letting her eyes adjust to the light. The first thought that ran through her mind, was that he must have opened the curtains. This brought a soft smile to her face.

_Gabe__._

She turned her head slightly, and the depression on the pillow where his head had been was still there. She rested her hand against it, and her smile faded.

He was gone.

"Cal, you all right in there? I could have sworn I heard you screaming last night-"

Jeremy opened the door to his sisters bedroom, and his voice stopped cold. She was curling up into the pillow beside her, having pulled it into her arms. She was clearly crying.

"..Shit. Not again. What timing.. I'm going to be late for the train.."

He mumbled his complaints to himself quietly as he closed the door, turning to walk straight into a wall. A wall named Brennan.

"Don't worry, I'll take you to the platform."

"Brennan, you're a lifesaver. I know her, she's.. not going to be getting up any time soon."

He pulled the cigarette out of his lips, blowing the smoke he'd just inhaled back out in a violent gust of breathe. His eyes were like glowing embers of anger, narrowed, glaring the door down with a gaze that could melt steel.

"I know, I saw her. Let's go."

**************************************************************************

_Nothing can be altered _

_there__ is nothing to decide _

_no__ escape, no change of heart _

_nor__ any place to hide _

_You are all I'll ever want _

_but__ this I am denied _

_sometimes__, in my darkest thoughts _

_I wish I'd never learned _

_what__ it is to be in love _

_and__ have that love returned _

_is__ it written in the stars? _

_are__ we paying for some crime? _

_is__ that all that we are good for _

_just__ a stretch of mortal time? _

_is__ this God's experiment _

_in__ which we have no say? _

_in__ which we're given paradise _

_but__ only for a day? _

**************************************************************************

End Note: Lyrics by Leann Rimes and Elton John – Written in the Stars. Becca agrees with usage of this song. I have the Becca stamp of approval! ^_^

..anyway, that's it for now. I'll add more one day.. but like I said, don't hold your breathe. My muses are ever so fickle. =p

  
And just because they deserve mention, I LOVE PANABELLE and SUNSGOLDENRAY! ^_^ My favorite writers. 3 Go girls go~!__


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: Ladies and Gentlemen may I present my new co-writer in crime, Becca. Becca wrote about half of this chapter. Why? Because she plays GABE, of course! HRTHRTHRT

All characters are © their respective players. I do not own Harry Potter (though I wouldn't mind .) nor do I own Albus Dumbledore (Thank God..), Hogwarts, or pretty much anything JK Rowling wrote. I do however own Calista, who in this Continuity was the Head Girl in Harry's 6th year, so if you even so much as –think- of stealing her.. I would be flattered. I will sue the pants off of you.. but I'd be flattered. Becca owns Gabe. Though.. Calista would like to think otherwise.

**Sunset**

Ch. 3

**************************************************************************

_Dreaming about __Providence__  
And whether mice or men have second tries.   
Maybe we've been living with our eyes half open   
Maybe we're bent and broken.._

_Broken.__  
  
We were meant to live for so much more   
Have we lost ourselves?   
Somewhere, we live inside._

_We were meant to live._

**************************************************************************

"It's been a long time."

Calista stood just inside the door to the Donnybrook Estate, having opened it just a minute before once she heard the doorbell. She stared at the man in front of her, the shock plain on her face.

"..You going to invite me in, or..?"

  
"O-oh, Merlin, I'm sorry, of course.."

She held the door wider, letting him walk in. "Here, let me take your-"

"No, I can't stay long.."

She pursed her lips in annoyance, the shock of seeing the man before her after all these years wearing off quickly enough.

"You're going to leave so soon?"

"I can't help it. You know that."

He took a seat on the couch as if he owned it, and patted the spot beside him, inviting her to sit down. She complied, and he put his arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him quizzically.

"So.. I suppose you're wondering why I'm here."

"The thought had crossed my mind, Uncle Mikal."

Mikal Hailey chuckled softly and looked down at his niece, a smirk flickering against his hardened features. He looked to be in his late 50's, perhaps early 60's, but the man was younger than that. Despite his age, however, he was nearing the end of his time.

"We've got a lead."

Calista's brow perked at his vague words, and she glared at him as she spoke. "A lead on _what_?"

"What do you think?"

A moment of tense silence followed, in which she refused to show any reaction. Deep down, she had a suspicion of what he meant, but..

"Oh for crying out loud.. You're just as stubborn as your mother was."

He pulled out a slip of paper, folded twice, and handed it to her. Within it was an address, a name, and nothing more. He got up off the couch and rubbed his neck, heading for the door as he spoke. She unfolded the paper, gave it a glance, and got up out of her seat to follow him quickly.

"Who is this?"

"Our lead." He answered, turning in place to face her once he reached the door. "I knew him personally, when he was one of us. And he _was_ one of us, Calista. Make no mistake."

"So, what difference does that make?"

"He just celebrated his 90th birthday." 

The words slammed into her so hard that it took her breath away. A Wandless, living that long, was unheard of.. except for one. Dumbledore.

"You are our most.. convincing member, Calista.", he went on. "If there's anyone who could manage to get some answers out if him, it's you."

She clutched the paper in her hand, breaking the silence of the moment by the sound of paper crinkling softly under her fingertips. She didn't want to have to 'convince' some damn old man of anything.. but the one hope she had left in her life rested on this. She should have known better than to keep any hope at all.

If the Wandless discovered a way to live a full wizards life, then maybe, just maybe, after all of this was over, and Gabe was free to come back to her again.. they just might have a chance at a life together. She had a chance at buying time.

She just wished she knew what it was she was waiting for.

**************************************************************************

"Tymes! Wake up, kid."

A mop of long red strands shot into the air as Adrius kicked the baseboard of the rickety cot.  He grunted as he watched Gabriel open his eyes to glare at his partner.

"Unless this place is burning down, you best have a damn good reason for waking me up…"

Gabriel muttered as he stretched his long arms and peeling himself out of the bed with a grunt.  He brought a gloved hand to his head and tousled his hair before moving to smooth his pants and throw his robe over his head. Adrius moved to sit down on the cot, watching his young partner ready himself.

"We've got a deviant." His tone was cool, almost indifferent, and yet…there was something in it that sounded uncertain, as though he was explaining to a muggle that unicorns really do exist, they are just hard to find.

"A…what?"

Gabriel had stopped moving, only his eyes and the tip of his nose protruding through the neck of his robe.  He knew what this meant, it was the shock of hearing such that stopped him cold.  He took a steadying breath, before finishing the maneuver to properly clad himself in the robe.

"I thought Dumbledore was the only one who managed that…?"

"That would make our tasks too easy, no?" Adrius retorted with a smirk. "Apparently some of the Wandless found out about him too, which means we have to move fast."

He reached to the side of the bed, and threw one of the boy's boots toward him, followed by the other. He stood, moving with purpose, and grabbed his Nimbus 2000 and his partner's 2001. Gabriel was finishing tying up his boots when he looked up at the brooms. 

"I thought you said _fast_," he joked with his partner.  Though the two brooms were known throughout the world as some of the fastest, there were certainly ways of transport much faster than enchanted wood and branches could provide..

Adrius made a low sound in the back of his throat that sufficed as a laugh.  "I need you at full potential, kid.  If the deviant's lasted this long, there's likely to be more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Besides, he's close- Yorkshire. We can get there within a half hour with flying."

Gabriel nodded, taking his broom and heading out into the night air. He took in a deep breath of the sea air surrounding Tintageal, letting the taste of salt burn itself into his cracked lips. Raising the hood of his cloak, he simply nodded to his partner as he mounted his broom, kicking off and screaming skyward. Adrius followed directly, pulling up beside him so close that he could reach out and grab the quick of Gabriel's broom, easily. He led the way, having more of a sense of direction than Gabriel did. Gliding through the air, the two moved with the speed of shot arrows, black against black, barely seen against the night sky.

It was only when Adrius started to point the handle of his broom downward, that Gabriel felt any sort of emotion at all.  He followed, keeping close enough to his partner that it would be difficult for an outsider to note who was doing the leading.  When both feet were on the ground, Gabriel looked over to the moderately-sized house they had landed on the lawn of.  He handed his broom to Adrius, who was already starting to scout for an area to stash their transports. 

"…He's not alone."

"I know."

With those words, Adrius moved back to his partner's side with all the silence and prowess of a shadow, his wand gesturing to the door when they reached it.

"Alohamora."

The spell Adrius used was one of the first useful spells Gabriel had learned in Hogwarts, and somehow, wizards that survived into late years of life managed to not guard against it.  "Careless…" he whispered to Adrius, following the man into the house. "…You'd think he'd be more careful, considering he's fought to age this far…"

Nodding once, Adrius surveyed the first room.  Glancing to the left, he noted the hallway.

"I need a count on the number of bodies in this building, Tymes…" Adrius muttered, turning to shut the door and seal it behind them.

Gabriel held still for moment, letting his eyes stare off—blind to seeing anything at the moment.  They shifted from the icy blue hue to a roiling crimson, before shifting back again after he was done surveying the building with his thaumaturgical vision—counting the vessels of blood that he could discern from the inanimate objects.

"Three human-sized, and one smaller—looks to be a cat, maybe a small dog."

Adrius cursed under his breath.  "I don't like those odds."

"We've been through far worse than this," replied Gabriel easily.

"If those are three Wandless…" Adrius began, shifting his gaze to Gabriel's, whose eyes were just completing their final return to familiar blue.

"Then we'll deal with them, just like anything else we've done."

Adrius nodded, stepping out into the hallway and looking down the way.  He waited for Gabriel to come up behind him before starting up the stairs.  He positioned his foot carefully on each floorboard, willing it not to creak beneath him.  Each of the rooms on the first floor had been opened—doors flung wide for all to see.  Nothing.  Not even the proposed cat. Adrius wondered idly if that meant that the three humans would be in the same room on the upper level. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he reached the crest of the stairs. Pressing his back to the far wall, Adrius motioned for Gabriel to take the lead now.  

The boy nodded swiftly, taking in a quick breath before starting on.  These doors were closed, which was the very reason why Adrius wanted him to take the lead.  He felt the pounding of blood at his temples, willing it to serve him as he took in the surroundings.  Pausing in front of the first door, he shook his head after a moment.  The first room was empty, with the exception of that lesser body, the pet or familiar of some sort. From the slowed circulation he could sense, he assumed the animal was dozing.

Gabriel steadied himself, pausing for a beat before moving to the next door.  He was barely in front of it when he nodded, holding up three fingers.  

This was it.  This was the door that Adrius wished would never be found. 

Gabriel felt the hair stand on the back of his neck, and pulled to the wall, allowing Adrius to do the initial entry.  This was how the team worked.  Adrius, who had more experience, would open the door and Gabe would sweep in behind him.  After four years of this, they were very well acquainted with it. Adrius took one last long look at the door, his nerve slipping as he gripped the cherry wand in his hand. He found his strength in Gabriel, as he regarded the young man waiting vigilantly. 'If this nineteen year old boy can do this..' he thought to himself, '..I am not going to let him down.'  Ruefully, he stared at the make of the door, the memory of it burning into his mind.  

'I'm sorry, Grandfather.'

He rose his wand to the door.  He did not even have to check the door handle, he knew it to be locked.  

'But you were not careful enough.'

The silent spell exploded against the door, swinging it wide from the blast.

**************************************************************************

There was the house, just as it should be.. but something seemed off. Something was wrong. She pushed the front door, and it moved easily with a creak. It wasn't even locked.. and that could only mean..

"...Shit."

She slammed into the door, sprinting inside. A quick glance around and she headed upstairs, kicking in door after door. She heard the sound of movement coming from the last, and with wand raised she stormed the room. 

She was promptly hissed at.

Ignoring the cat that had been woken from its slumber by her violent entrance, she continued searching, until she found the door she was looking for. It was obvious from its singed and broken doorknob, that someone had gotten there before her.

The question was, were they still there?

She received her answer as the door swung open, and the gruesome scene presented itself. Though all three were obviously dead, only one caught her attention. The sight made her dry heave, her stomach convulsing. The old man lay in a pool of his own blood, his skin entirely _drenched_ in it. It gave off the impression that every pore in his body had been punctured individually. His eyes were open, and his face was plastered with a look of vague surprise. He had died before he even hit the floor.

On the wall behind him was a sickening display, a splattering that looked as if someone had sprayed a firehose filled with blood. She knelt down on one knee beside the other two bodies, checking each for a pulse. It was pointless- it was obvious they were dead, the looks on their faces bearing witness to the Killing Curse. Her fist clenched in anger, nails digging into the soft skin underneath. Her eyes closed helplessly from the sight, as the small hope she had clung to was snuffed out as quickly as these three lives had been. A low, mournful cry emitted from her lips, one that choked and stifled in a sob. Dropping down to both knees, she remained on the blood drenched floor, and her cries were interrupted only by vicious snarls of anger.

"I failed you again, mother. I failed you.. Gabe.."

Her voice had already become hoarse with screaming, as she finally whispered those words out into the air.

There she would remain for hours. When she had finally found the strength to stand up again, after having spent far too much time weeping her sorrows to corpses of strangers, she stormed out of the room. She failed to notice the few drops of blood on the floor nearby that were so completely out of place, that they plainly hadn't come from the victim. Her boot treaded on the drops, smudging the only proof of Gabe's former presence out of existence. 

She had failed once more.

**************************************************************************

_How the hell did we wind up like this?  
Why weren't we able, to see the signs that we missed,  
And try to turn the tables?  
Now the story's played out like this,  
Just like a paperback novel..  
Let's rewrite an ending that fits,  
Instead of a __Hollywood__ horror.  
   
Someday, somehow  
I'm gonna make it all right, but not right now.  
I know you're wondering when_

_(You're the only one who knows that.)_

_I know you're wondering when._

**************************************************************************

End Note: SHOCKING. SCANDALOUS. OTHER WORDS THAT START WITH S. I know you're liking how I made it seem as if I won't add to this for months if at all.. and I add a new chapter a week later.

…yeah that's right. I'm so mysteriously unpredictable bebi. 

Chapter 4.. is.. coming..!

(P.S. I like reviews, they make me a happy panda.)


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: I've been meaning to get this out for a few days now. I just.. really needed to get it out. So I'm getting it out! Yay for doing what I wanted to do! E.e;

All characters are © their respective players. I do not own Harry Potter (though I wouldn't mind .) nor do I own Albus Dumbledore (Thank God..), Hogwarts, or pretty much anything JK Rowling wrote. I do however own Calista, who in this Continuity was the Head Girl in Harry's 6th year, so if you even so much as –think- of stealing her.. I would be flattered. I will sue the pants off of you.. but I'd be flattered. Becca owns Gabe. Though.. Calista would like to think otherwise.

* * *

**Sunset**

Ch. 4

* * *

"I still think this is a bad idea."

Adrius sat on the edge of a ravine so deep, the bottom was indistinguishable from the darkness below. He threw a pebble off the edge, and watched it fall, waiting to see even the smallest hint of a dust cloud as it hit bottom, or perhaps hear a small echo of a sound.

Nothing.

He looked up, shielding his eyes from the blazing sunset. One eye closed, the other focusing on his partner, who stood beside him, focused on the other side of the ravine. He was silently glad he hadn't seen that pebble fall.

"It's not like you can do anything, and you know it."

"We're not leaving until she's safe."

The tall man stood, disregarding the wind that blew his 6'5" frame towards the edge of the ravine. His feet were planted firmly on the ground, and his eyes were rooted to the sight across from him, far from his reach. He could just make out the form of a woman, hanging from one hand and moments away from falling to her death. He made no move to save her, but he could not look away.

"And if she falls? You can't risk letting them know we're here to save her. Do you really want to see that?"

Gabriel's silent answer to his question made Adrius uneasy. If he was planning on doing something.. he would jeopardize them both. He would jeopardize _everything_.

"We're _not_ leaving until she's safe."

The two men stood there, completely unnoticed by Calista, or the team that was quickly driving closer to the edge of the ravine in a beat up truck. How could they be noticed? It was if they weren't even there. As always, their invisibility cloaks allowed them to stand in plain sight of their prey, and remain unnoticed.

Unfortunately, if their prey had wanted to notice him, Gabriel knew no invisibility cloak would shield him.

"All right, come on, we've got to go. Now."

The team had just begun to set up their equipment, and as they attached the cable around Cooper's waist, Gabriel's eyes narrowed. He stooped down and picked up a pebble, throwing it up into the air and catching it anxiously. Every time it left his hands, it would reappear, and each time he caught it, it was gone once more. If it had been more than just a small pebble, someone might have noticed.

"Stop that, will you?"

Adrius was looking over at him in annoyance, after having gotten up and walked away. He had soon noticed the lack of footsteps following him, and had turned to see a pebble appear and reappear near the edge. His request was heeded, as it did not appear again.

"We are not. Leaving. Until. She is safe."

Adrius let out a sigh of exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air and standing there. To say his partner was stubborn would be an understatement.. the man was solid as a rock when he made up his mind. To take his mind off of the uncomfortable feeling that had settled upon him, he tried to focus on the sunset. Whistling low, he sighed. Now that was a sight to die for.

Gabriel's deep blue eyes never left her. He would have given anything to be able to reach out to her, to let her know she was safe, and that he would never let her fall. But he knew he couldn't do that.. and that fact made it all the worse when Cooper slid down the side of the cliff, and wrapped his arms around Calista, pulling her to him.

The pebble in Gabriel's hands reappeared once more, but as sifted dust, crumbling away from his clenched fist. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Gabriel.." Adrius' voice was warning, and tense. Now, he was worried.

"Let's go."

Gabriel swiveled around in place, the invisibility cloak floating around him sharply before it settled down and followed him in his swift movement, walking away from the ravine. Adrius hadn't realized Gabe passed him until he caught a glimpse of footsteps in the sand, storming onward. He was quick to catch up, walking alongside his partner.

"Listen mate, don't-"

Gabriel had stopped, pulling both his and Adrius' hoods off their heads, to the man's surprise. The sight of two floating heads might have come as a surprise to any who had been around. Luckily, the plateau was deserted.

"No, _you_ don't." Came Gabe's answer, and he gave Adrius a warning glance.

"All I'm saying is, don't get your knickers in a bind, you know damn well she's not-"

"I **_know_** that, Adrius. I just don't like him touching her, that's all."

"..Right then."

Adrius cleared his throat, and shook his head. His partner was putting himself through more than one man should be able to handle.. all for this one woman. As he pulled the hood back over his head and continued walking away, one thought passed through his mind.

_Lourdes__, you better be worth it._

* * *

_Love in, love out,  
Find the feeling._

_And I feel it's going down,  
Ten feet below the ground,  
I'm waiting for your healing hand,  
One touch could bring me round  
I feel we're going down,  
Ten feet below the ground,  
It's just the way I'm feeling._

* * *

Calista opened the door, and was assaulted with cheerfulness.

"JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD HAS COME! LET EARTH, PROCLAIM, HIS-"

She slammed the door in the carolers' faces, and walked back inside.

"Who was that at the door, Captain?" Terry asked, pulling out a tray of cookies from the kitchen and setting them down in front of the boys, who converged like vultures, only to pull away moments later blowing at their burnt fingers.

The tall woman frowned, flopping down into a plush seat and giving Jeremy a glance, before turning her cold blue eyes up to Terry.

"Just some kids trying to ruin my Christmas spirit with cheer."

"Merlin forbid."

The sarcastic reply came from Brennan, who had managed to carefully pinch a cookie between two fingers. He brought it to his lips as he spoke.

"As if Christmas was the time of year for, say, smiling, or something absurd like tha-AAHHH! My tongue!"

Calista snorted, smirking gently. As Brennan sat there fanning his burnt tongue, she thought to herself silently, 'now _that_ makes me smile.'

"It's a warm night for December, isn't it?"

Jeremy hadn't been irresponsible enough to try and eat the cookies until they cooled, and instead had moved to the window, opening it and watching the carolers walk off. They were dressed in coats and scarves, but it really wasn't as chilly as December usually ran around these parts. Most notably, there had been no snow yet.

Chris and Terry had spent Christmas at the Donnybrook Estate with the three of them after all, a quiet affair involving friends curled up around the fire, rambling on about nothing in particular. Terry's small form was curled up under the crook of Chris's large arm; she looked as if she was made to fit him by fate. Brennan sat on the couch beside where Jeremy had just been, trying to soothe his tongue with milk, and Calista sat on the old, worn plush chair she refused to get rid of. It was comfortable, she often said, and it made her feel at home.

Home.

Donnybrook had been their home for years now, ever since Calista and Gabriel had come to take Jeremy away at the age of eleven from the hellhole their father had kept him locked up in. Now, his sister was his surrogate mother, and his best friend was ten years older than him.

"Jeremy, don't stand by the window, you'll catch a cold."

Calista had called out to him after a moment, and he turned to walk away, but before he did, something caught his eye. A raven flew in, to land on the windowsill. He stopped, cocking his head slightly as he stared at the bird. The bird in turn mimicked him, small black head cocking while deep blue eyes stared. Jeremy hesitantly held out his hand, his finger extended, and instead of flying off, the raven hopped up one step, and nuzzled its head under his finger. A faint smile graced the boy's features, before the raven extended its wings, and flew into the house, landing on the plush chair his sister was on. Jeremy followed.

Calista's lips were parted to call Jeremy back once more, when the bird passed him and flew to her side. She turned her head, her eyes widening faintly as she looked up at it. The raven, in turn, stared down at her, cooing.

"Aren't crows a bad omen?"

Brennan was eyeing the bird critically, in the middle of eating a cookie. He looked about two seconds away from standing up and shooing it away, but Calista stood, holding her arm out. The raven hopped off the seat and landed on her arm, like a familiar of sorts.

"It's not a crow, it's a raven. And he's mine. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take care of it."

"Aww, you didn't tell me you had a pet, Captain! What's its name? Can I pet it?"

Calista turned her eyes to Terry, who had sat up straight, looking instantly curious. The older woman quirked a smile, and nudged her arm, gesturing for the bird to alight on her shoulder. It complied, claws capturing her robe to hold itself upright as its small head nuzzled into her cheek for a moment. 

"He doesn't have a name, and he's not my pet. He's just.. a friend. I wouldn't suggest petting it, he's too wild."

Terry frowned in disappointment, and a beak tugged at Calista's ear in protest, but she ignored it, her finger coming up to shoo it off.

"Oh, all right then."

As Calista turned to walk away, Jeremy followed. She stopped in mid-step, and turned around, wrapping one arm around the boys shoulder.

"Give me a moment, Jeremy."

"But.. he likes me. Can't I come watch?"

The boy's voice was low, and quiet, a perfect tenor match to his sisters. She shook her head silently, and he sighed in resignation, watching her walk away before turning back to sit on her seat until she returned.

The raven flew into the kitchen as she walked in, and she took a step back, her head bending to make sure no one had followed. Sure enough, the group was still all gathered by the fireplace, and she was out of sight. She nodded, more to the bird who had now perched on the kitchen counter than anything else, and took the step closer to meet it, quirking a small, genuine smile.

"I'm glad you could make it, after all."

The bird shuddered its feathers in reply, as if it was offended by her talking to it. But it wasn't. In fact, its shudders didn't stop, feathers fluffing larger and larger until it was obvious it wasn't just fluffing, but growing. The woman watched with little more than curiosity as the little raven melded in shape and size, reforming itself to the shape of a man, sitting with his legs hanging over the kitchen counter. He rested his palms against it, giving her an impish grin.

"I told you I would, didn't I?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"I always keep my promises."

Gabriel leaned in, one hand removing off the kitchen counter to rise up and capture her chin within caressing fingertips, holding her face close. A moment passed where their lips were a breath away, his eyes tracing every feature of her face before closing the gap, and kissing her. She in turn wrapped her arms around his neck, and obliged to his kiss more than happily. In the silence of the moment, one could still hear the distant laughter of her friends in the living room, though they heard nothing but their own heartbeats at the moment.

"Merry Christmas, Cali."

"Merry Christmas, Gabe."

* * *

_For a second of your life, tell me that it's true.   
Waiting for a sign.. It's all I want of you.   
Your heart hides a secret  
A promise of what is  
Of something more than this.  
  
Just a second of your time, any one will do.   
A taste of any other is all I want from you.  
Offer me the world,  
And how can I resist  
Something more than this?   
  
Make-believe in magic, Make-believe in dreams   
Make-believe – Impossible.  
Nothing as it seems.   
To see, touch, taste, smell, hear..   
But never know if it's real._

_Another second of my life not knowing if it's true   
Make-believe in nothing is all I want of you   
Whispering the secret,   
Whispering there is   
Always something other..  
Something.. _

_More than this.._

* * *

"What the bloody hell is up with the bird, anyway?"

"Leave it alone, Brennan."

Brennan looked at Jeremy wide-eyed, surprised at the tone he'd just received from his best friend.

"Well shit, I didn't realize you were such a fowl person, Jeremy," He quipped, chuckling. Jeremy just made a face and threw a walnut at his head, to which he fell over and feigned his death upon impact.

"I think it's cute!" Terry chimed in, throwing walnuts at Brennan's dead body. His corpse gave her a cocky look, before bursting into laughter again. "What?!"

"Cap'n Lourdes, being described.. as 'cute'."

Even Chris burst into reluctant laughter at that, though it was quickly stifled by the small elbow that jabbed into his stomach.

Jeremy stood, walking away from the laughter. He had a sober face on as he walked away, and opened up a cabinet, filtering through some papers. Both Brennan and Terry gave each other a look, before the man sat up and looked over the couch at the boy.

"Hey, Jeremy, y'know I'm just playing around, right? Your sister's a fine-"

But Jeremy had already returned, with a picture in his hands. Brennan's words died in his throat, as he saw it. With a stern, stoic face, Jeremy's deadpan voice announced-

"You wanted cute."

He held a picture of their Captain at the age of six. In pigtails.

* * *

Their quiet moment was broken by peals of laughter coming from the living room, so loud that Calista couldn't help but break away from the kiss, turning her head towards it.

"What the hell is going on in there..?"

Gabe sat up straight, before hopping off the counter and sliding his arm around her waist and holding her from behind. Silently, he wished he had the liberty to simply walk back out with her, wrapped in his arms, and have a normal Christmas, with her.

But it wasn't meant to be. At least, not yet, if he had any say in the matter.

"You know, you could have let her pet me."

"I'd rather not. You're only mine to pet."

He quirked a smile, burying his head into her neck. "The same goes for you."

"As always. Though, you must admit, I'm not as pettable."

He rose his free hand up, running it through her hair. "Mm.. I completely disagree.."

Their quiet moment returned, and Calista turned her head, just barely brushing against his lips before the peals of laughter returned, to break the silence once more. Calista's eyes narrowed icily.

"I should go, anyway. Go check on them. I'll stay with you for a bit, but.. not like this."

He kissed the side of her neck, and her head tilted away to give him room, letting out a little sound of dissent.

"I wish you could stay.."

From behind her, she heard his last words.

"I know. I do too."

His hands slid away from her, and a pained sound emitted from her throat. She turned quickly, hoping for one last glance of him.. but he was gone.

And in his place, hopping on the floor at her feet was a simple raven. He opened his wings and hopped back up on the counter, just sitting there looking at her. She let out a sad little breath, before leaning her back against the counter, and hiding her face in her hands.

"I love you, so much, Gabe. So much."

In her mind, a quiet, bubbly thought reached her, as it always did when he spoke to her this way.

I love you too.

But standing there fuming, on the other side of the kitchen wall, holding the picture of Calista in pigtails, all Brennan had been able to hear was Calista's sad, pathetic sounding plea. There was no reply. No, as far as he knew, there never was.

The picture fell from his fingertips, and he walked out.

* * *

_I'm not afraid to go backwards and fix what we broke.  
My gaze falls behind, you make desire seem so easy.  
I hold off sleep, it's so silent without you here..  
Don't give up now, it would all be for nothing.  
  
I believe in second chances  
I believe the years forget  
  
Can you feel that?  
I think we're moving in the right direction.  
I was someone else then,  
I'd take it back if you would let me..  
  
**Every night I whisper your name at the top of my lungs**_

_Let me fill these empty spaces,  
Better late than never - Stay forever.  
Let me fill this empty space..  
Because there's always room for one more mistake._

* * *

End Note: I had to re-edit this because I'm an idiot who made Gabe a crow when he was a raven.. Blame HP3. And my stupidity.

I was so much happier with this story when I originally wrote it last night.. bleh.

(P.S. I like reviews, they make me a happy panda.)

(P.P.S. Sam said I could own her. So I do. 3)


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Note: It's funny, I'm about to reuse my author's note because it applies here too! - I've been meaning to get this out for a few days now. I just.. really needed to get it out. So I'm getting it out! Yay for doing what I wanted to do! E.e;

All characters are © their respective players. I do not own Harry Potter (though I wouldn't mind . ) nor do I own Albus Dumbledore (Thank God..), Hogwarts, or pretty much anything JK Rowling wrote. I do however own Calista, who in this Continuity was the Head Girl in Harry's 6th year, so if you even so much as –think- of stealing her.. I would be flattered. I will sue the pants off of you.. but I'd be flattered. Becca owns Gabe. Though.. Calista would like to think otherwise.

**Sunset**

Ch. 5

-------

Calista sat in that worn, plush chair, for days. There wasn't much to do, or say, really. Christmas came and went, and there would be no assignments until the end of the month. Jeremy had returned to Hogwarts, Terry and Chris had gone away to visit family, and that left..

"I made some tea. Do you want some?"

"No.. not really."

Brennan stalked out of the kitchen, wearing an apron with the words 'Kiss the Cook' stitched on the front. He rested his hands on his hips and tapped his foot impatiently, glaring down at her. He reminded her of her mother. As amusing as that thought was, she didn't smile.

"Listen, you. I just baked a batch of cookies for tea time, and damn if you're not going to eat some with tea. So don't tell me you don't want tea, because all you've been doing is moping around lately and.. well.. not drinking tea! And it's just not right Cap'n, it's just not-"

His words were cut short as a knock came on the door. Both of them turned to look at it, before Brennan moved to open the door. A man carrying a small bag slung over his shoulders handed him a plain white envelope with no return label, or address for that matter. Brennan took it, and lifted a finger up, his lips parting to question the man, but without a word, he had apparated away. Brennan looked back at the letter warily, before closing the door.

"Th' hell is this.. Who's going to hand deliver mail nowadays..?"

The same thought had obviously been running through Calista's mind, as Brennan turned to walk back and bumped straight into her. She didn't flinch, but instead snatched the envelope from his grasp, and returned to her seat. Brennan seemed only mildly insulted, and flopped down on the couch as the woman read the note within. Her eyes widened slightly, before she flickered her gaze up to Brennan and crumpled the paper up in her hand. She stood, ignored Brennan's expectant gaze, and headed into her bedroom. The sound of Brennan's delayed dissent was drowned out by the door slamming.

Once in her room, Calista had rested heavily on the door, her heartbeat thudding against her chest so hard she could feel the pain of each forceful impact. She closed her eyes if only to try and still her senses and regain some clarity in her thoughts, but every nerve in her body felt like it would come alive and aflame if brushed by the lightest touch.

It was here. It was all here in this note, this cherished little note sent by an anonymous benefactor who felt Calista worthy to know the truth. Dumbledore's secret.

_How could I have been so stupid!_, she thought to herself, balling her fists up so tightly that the note within tore under the pressure of her fingertips. _How could I have missed something so obvious?!_ She laughed out loud, a bitter laugh that choked back a sob. _That bastard was playing us for fools.. all along. He knew it was simple.. so simple, in fact, that no one would have guessed. So simple that it slipped right past us all. But now.._

A second laugh filtered through closed lips. This one was darker, however.. no longer bitter, but smoky and downright evil. Her voice crackled like the sound of a dying fire, letting its last sparks of life out before it dies away and leaves its owner to die in the cold.

_Dumbledore was right to keep his secret from us._

She lifted the note to her sight and unfolded it, flattening the massive wrinkles out with her palm, and piecing together the tears each of her fingertips had made. Reading it one last time and casting it's information to memory, she held it up just slightly farther from her face, and her lips parted one last time.

"Incendio."

The small paper burst into flames, an open fire that she simply let burn on the gentle caress of her skin, though it seemed to only barely singe it within the few seconds it took the fire to completely overtake it's fuel. When nothing was left but ashes, she rose her other hand, and blew the anonymous writer a kiss, one that blew the ashes of the paper out into the air of her bedroom.

This time, no one would stop her.

-------

As Brennan heard the door creak open, he sighed in relief.

"Finally, the tea was getting cold. I was worried you'd be in there.. all.."

His words slowed to a stop as he turned around, a cup of tea in his hands, blowing it gently to cool it despite what he'd said. He was lying through his teeth – he had kept it warm for as long as she'd needed, but now it seemed a waste. The woman stood before him fully dressed and packed, with all the necessities he knew well enough for an excavation trip. An excavation trip without him.

"I'll be back before summer break. If you wish to stay and take care of the house, you may. You don't have to. I shouldn't be gone too long."

He simply stared at her as she rattled on in a voice far too distant and businesslike, even for her. One thing he could never understand was how a woman so stern and capable was such a bad liar at times. She picked up the tightly wrapped bag and swung it around over her back, clipped the belt around her waist, and walked up to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. For a moment, her eyes looked into his in earnest, and their frankness, their sheer _hopefulness_, stunned him to silence. All other thoughts were lost by that one, beautiful look.

And then she smiled.

Brennan was sure she was saying something further, but he couldn't hear it. The blood rushing through his veins would drown out the dull roar of a steam engine, had there been one there at the time. Within moments, that smile was gone, and so was she. Only a minute after the door had slammed shut had he realized that he was left alone in this proud, empty castle, haunted by memories and former residents. He shuddered visibly, and took a deep breath – suddenly realizing he had forgotten to breathe until now.

But oh, that smile.

-------

She had taken the first train headed back toward England, where she would begin her journey. The note had told her only where she was to be, and when. Whoever had written her this note had depending on just how desperate she was to find her answer.

They were right.

She found herself in front of a very large library, where a book was waiting for her on reserve. She took it and left, fully intending on returning it to the library.

Someday.

For now, she walked out of the building and rounded it, finding herself in the deserted back alley that housed most of the garbage excreted daily through a trash shoot. There she found what she was looking for – a bright yellow child's rain boot. It was a portkey, leading to a destination she was unaware of. It was probably a trap. It was probably the stupidest, most rash and obviously dangerous mistakes she would ever allow herself to make. But her life was a small price to pay.

She picked up the boot and was pulled away from England with a sickening pop.

-------

End Note: Short, but important. There'll be more coming soon. And I actually foresee and end to the fanfic! Hooray!

Cami would like the world to know that she wins by default.


End file.
